


You have no right to be that tall, dark, or handsome, sir

by Obsidian_Bandit



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst, Awkward Flirting, But mostly fluff, Can I call it that?, Coffee, Coffee Shops, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Gay, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Vulcan, Vulcan Kisses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25890955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsidian_Bandit/pseuds/Obsidian_Bandit
Summary: Jim is a barista who just can’t seem to get his life together, Spock is a college professor who just can’t seem to find a reason to get his life together, and Bones just wants his to-go cup of black coffee already.My contribution to the coffee shop au trope.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott/Nyota Uhura, Pavel Chekov/Hikaru Sulu
Comments: 23
Kudos: 114





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I promise to actually finish this long fic, even if it kills me. It will get finished.
> 
> Enjoy!

James T. Kirk tried his best. He really did, every time. Whether it involved work, relationships, hobbies, or anything in between, he always tried to put his best foot forward, it’s just that life didn’t seem to get the memo of putting its best foot forward for Jim. 

Which was probably why he was currently moaning to Bones about his latest breakup while making the man a black coffee.

“But Bones I really thought she was the one for me, everything seemed perfect, and I thought we were doing just fine!” Jim insisted for the fiftieth time that he had no clue what was wrong, which was partially true, at least.

“You are a tad oblivious sometimes Jim, maybe she just got mad about something tiny and you both let it grow out of proportion,” Bones replied gruffly, ever the best gossiper available. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Doesn’t make it hurt any less…”

“I know Jim, but trust me, this was probably for the best. I never really liked her all that much in the first place, too bitchy.”

Jim merely groaned in reply as he handed Bones his black coffee, before promptly letting his face fall onto the counter, arms dangling uselessly at his sides.

“Is he still complaining about that girl?” Sulu asked, appearing from the back area with a large tray of pastry’s, setting them up delicately in the display. 

“Yeah, but in all fairness, it did last longer than usual,” Bones answered. “Even I was starting to wonder if this one would actually last.”

“Sorry Sulu I can finish the pastry’s,” Jim said as he managed to peel his face from the counter. “I know I’ve been kind of useless all day.”

Nodding, Sulu handed the tray to Jim and walked over to the register, where Chekov had been waiting patiently while Jim had an emotional breakdown. “Sorry for the wait.”

“No, it is fine, if anything it was interesting to watch Mr. Kirk,” Chekov replied with a smile, then began to tell Sulu his order.

Focusing his mind on replacing the baked goods in the display, Jim managed to block out the others heckling, though that only succeeded in redirecting his thoughts back to the breakup.

He’d really wanted her to be the one, his soulmate or whatever, he wasn’t 100% sure what to call it, but he had been happy with her. Then she had told him it was over. Jim knew why she’d dumped him, but he hadn’t wanted to let anyone else know, it seemed like a stupid reason and he didn’t want his friends to blow it out of proportion like he was sure they would, but she’d dumped him because she’d found out he was bisexual.

It was the typical biphobia he’d faced in the past, this time it was “I support gay people but just pick a side”. He couldn’t tell if it hurt more than, “you have too many options, you’d totally cheat”, but he also didn’t think it was worth it to try and decide. The reward would be far too small compared to the emotional pain it’d put him through.

Shaking his head softly Jim finished setting out the baked goods and returned the tray to the back area, promptly pushing those thoughts from his mind. The relationship was over, and it would stay over forever, so there was no point dwelling on the past any longer. No matter how much it hurt. Or how much it begged to be dwelled on.

Just as he stepped back outside he was greeted by a cheerful voice he recognized well.

“Hey there Uhura,” He smiled and waved to her and, after noticing the man standing beside her added, “hey Scotty, what are you two lovebirds up to?”

“We were walking around and thought we might as well stop by and say hello, maybe get a drink or two,” Scotty answered, eyes quickly scanning over the large overhead menu.

“Pike sure does seem to have an eye for good coffee makers,” Uhura chuckled softly. “Though not as much can be said about tea brewers.”

“Well, this is a  _ coffee  _ shop, not a tea shop. And anyway most of the time our customers don’t want tea, you’re just a very rare exception,” Sulu retorted lightly, while Jim started taking Scotty’s order.

Uhura sighed and shook her head softly, Sulu and Uhura constantly got into disagreements about whether it was actually more important for them to make good tea or great coffee. Jim always stayed out of it, knowing neither of his friends were actually mad at the other, they just argued for the sake of argument.

“So Jim,” Uhura turned her head to look at Jim. “I heard you and Trevora broke up, you doing alright?”

Just as Jim opened his mouth to tell her “yes”, Bones quite loudly spoke up, “He was moppin’ about the whole morning, but he’s a little better now. At least he’s managed to hold his head up on his own shoulders without the counter's support.”

“Bones I’m fine, like you said it was probably for the best anyways, we were bound to break up sooner or later, it always happens.” Jim said.

“The solution to your problem is to stop being a complete disaster of a bisexual and let yourself be happy with someone who’s into you for more than your looks. And maybe take it a little slower next time, okay?” Bones looked him in the eye with that sincere expression, the one he only wore when he absolutely needed Jim to understand something, or agree to something.

“Yes, yes, I understand I move to fast Bones, that isn’t news to anyone.”

Rolling his eyes, Jim turned his attention back to Uhura and Scotty, took their orders, and let Sulu make both drinks. He was feeling better, but there was no denying he still felt pretty crappy about the whole thing. Just as was starting to space out, the bell over the door chimed, bringing him back to reality.

“Welcome, what can I get for...” Jim pauses for a second, doing a double-take because he’s pretty sure the tall, dark-haired man who just walked in is the sole reason tall, dark-haired people are a romance trope. “You. What can I get for you today, sir?”

_ Tone the gay down, Jim, tone it down.  _ He chastised himself.  _ This is gonna be an interesting conversation. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for having this take forever, school started for me, and when I said I was a slow writer I meant it.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Do you happen to have any Vulcan tea?” The tall man asked.

“Y-yeah, I think we do, lemme just go check the back.” Jim felt relief at the excuse to rush away, even if only for a few moments, so as he could collect himself. That was probably the first time he’d ever acted that flustered in front of a customer.  _ Damn am I screwed. _

Luckily Jim was able to locate a box of Vulcan tea, though it definitely didn't seem new whatsoever. By the looks of it, the tea has only been used once, maybe twice; Vulcan tea is definitely not the most popular drink. Jim had no clue why, though he'd also never tried it before, so maybe he wasn't the best judge.

Pushing that thought aside for later, Jim moved back to the front of the shop to start making the tea. Between Jim and Sulu, Jim was obviously better at brewing tea, though that didn't mean he was  _ good _ at it in any sense of the word. He could only pray that he was able to make something drinkable for the man, lest he ruin all chances of a friendship? Acquaintanceship? Romantic relationship?  _ Sexual  _ relationship? Jim wasn't entirely sure, he just knew he didn't want to ruin his chances.

After trying his very best to brew a decent cup of tea, he handed the cup to the Vulcan and held his breath as the man walked away with his cup to find a place to sit. Jim realized that he probably looks insane, staring at the Vulcan whose name he didn’t even know, waiting rather impatiently for him to try the tea.

If Jim didn't know any better he would have assumed that the Vulcan was trying to draw out the moments before trying the tea on purpose. He pulled out his PADD and took, what was to Jim, an excruciatingly long time setting everything up and preceding to work before he finally took a sip of the tea.

When he did finally take a sip the reaction Jim read created more questions than it answered. Or rather, the lack of a reaction. The Vulcan’s face remained entirely blank, unchanging, and Jim couldn’t tell whether that was just the way he was or whether that meant the tea was disgusting. He sighed and turned back to Bones… only to find the man giggling. At him.  _ Great.  _

“What, Bones?” Jim asked, slightly more defensive than the situation called for.

“You keep making ga-ga eyes at the guy over there, you got a crush or something?”

Bones replied, managing to suppress his laughter momentarily.

“What, no Bones, no! I just broke up with Trevora yesterday, I’m  _ still  _ pretty bummed out about it! I just wanted to know if the tea I made was any good, it’s my first attempt at brewing Vulcan tea.”

“Sure, whatever you say."

Just as Jim was about to make some sort of retort, the sound of the bell above the door ringing brought his attention to where the Vulcan appeared to be exiting the shop.

"Wait a second," Jim called after him loudly, to which the Vulcan turned around to face him. "In, what did you think of the tea?"

"It was evidently your first time preparing it, but with that in mind it was passable." And with that the Vulcan left the shop entirely, leaving Jim with quite the bunch of complicated feelings.

"Y'know what Bones, you might be right."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am honestly disappointed with how much I put off posting this, I just didn’t want to edit it... so sorry about how long this took.
> 
> Enjoy!

When his shift was finally over, Jim hurried from the shop, only stopping for a moment to say goodbye to Sulu, and made his way back to his apartment. There he opened his door, rushed to his room, and pulled out his PADD to begin his "research".

He wanted to be able to make better tea, Vulcan tea specifically, though he tried his best not to dwell on that specific fact. The stranger who had come into the shop had piqued his interest, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't getting a bit bored of his monotonous life; he needed something interesting to happen, and the tall man seemed exactly what he was looking for.

And if Jim spent that entire night trying to find the best ways to brew tea, and then the best ways to brew  _ Vulcan  _ tea, he would never admit it.

* * *

The next day Jim headed to work feeling dead on his feet, everything felt like it weighed twice as much as it had yesterday; his feet, his eyelids, his head. 

_ And here I thought I was actually decent at pulling all nighters and then  _ not  _ feeling like shit.  _ Jim sighed and rubbed his eyes, trying to make himself feel more awake. He did still have a shift at the coffee shop after all, and by himself no less, i.e. if he slacked off it would be glaringly obvious and he didn’t really feel like disappointing Pike so early on in the week.

Opening the door to the shop and beginning to get ready for the day, Jim started to feel himself become a little more aware of what was going on around him, the haze in his head cleared just enough for him to be able to smile widely at his customers and not spill coffee all over everything. Which in and of itself was more of an achievement than it should have been.

The day passed just as it always did, with a constant trickle of people coming for coffee, and occasionally tea, and Jim trying his best not to fall asleep without the company of any of his friends or fellow employees. Until the Vulcan entered the shop once again, then Jim was wide awake.

“What can I get for you today?” Jim asked, this time sounding a lot more natural.

“Vulcan tea, please.” Was the answer.

“And who might the order be for?” Jim inquired with a small eyebrow crock, trying his best to seem interested but not  _ too _ interested.  _ God what am I all of a sudden, a teenage girl? Curse hot Vulcans. _

“For me,” the Vulcan replied with an eyebrow raise, one that Jim assumed was as close to an honest emotional reaction as he was going to get with that.

“I meant the name, what’s your name?” 

“Is it necessary to acquire my name in order to prepare my beverage?”

“No, but you seem like a decent guy so I wanna know more about you. The best place to start being your name.”

“I do not exactly understand why, but it is Spock. I assume you are James based off your name tag?”

“Yeah but you can call me Jim, James sounds kinda formal.”

Spock nodded, and Jim turned to start putting his knowledge to the test, praying to every god he knew that he could make a cup better than “passable”, that he could somehow impress this Vulcan. Again, he elected to delve any deeper into those feelings, not really wanting to know anymore than what was on the surface. Wanting to impress someone who didn’t seem to be impressed easily was one thing, wanting to pursue a romantic relationship with said person was another thing entirely.

Jim forcefully put a lid on those thoughts, pushing them away for later when he didn’t need to dedicate all of his focus to making tea from a planet that had pretty fucking hard to make tea. Luckily, he was able to recall most of what he’d learned last night, and what he hadn’t been able to remember he was able to infer or guess what he pretty sure was at least close to the correct answer.

In the end he was able to make what he thought looked like a pretty decent cup of tea, and he was proud of what he gave to Spock, sure the Vulcan would be able to enjoy it.

Once again Spock took his time setting up his work, though this time Jim was less inpatient and more excited for when Spock would taste the tea and realize it was actually decent this time. When the Vulcan did taste the tea, however, a look of confusion presented itself for only a moment before Spock quickly schooled his expression back to monotone. He took another sip, this time clearly with more concentration, then he spared a quick glance at Jim before turning back to his work almost immediately when he noticed Jim practically boring a hole into his skull.

Jim was about to ask Spock what was wrong with the tea, but stopped when Spock began to quickly pack his things, stuffing them almost haphazardly into his bag, then promptly leaving, abandoning his drink on the table.

All Jim could do was watch his retreating figure, confusion and guilt clouding his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

The moment Spock shut the door to his apartment everything that had happened that day hit him like a bulldozer. He’d had an  _ emotional outburst  _ because of the quality of the tea Jim had made.  _ The tea. _

It had been good of course, very good,  _ to  _ good. Spock had remembered Jim’s first attempt being drinkable, passable even, but nothing that stood out from anyone else’s first attempt at making Vulcan tea. And then he’d taken that first sip of the second attempt and it tasted so much better, the kind of better that doesn’t just magically happen without a lot of care and effort. It was glaringly obvious that Jim had spent time, a lot of time, researching how to make the tea. And that was why Spock had stormed out of the shop. Or got as close to storming out of a shop as a Vulcan ever could.

_ Half Vulcan.  _ He reminded himself.

Spock could only remember one other human ever trying so hard to make Vulcan tea, and that human was his mother, who had done it to fit in with Vulcan society and please his father. Amanda had tried so hard because she loved Sarek, because she had wanted him and Spock to be happy… so when Spock noticed that Jim had done a similar thing, had tried so hard to do something nice for him, he got scared. Scared of what that entailed, what it implied, and even more scared of how he felt about it. How he felt about  _ Jim.  _

He set his bag on the ground and pulled out his PADD, deciding to try and call one of the few friends he had to talk about this with, it was clear he wasn’t going to get anywhere on his own.

“Hey Spock,” Nyota’s smiling face calmed him down somewhat; if anyone would know the answer to his problems it was her. She understood people, understood why they did the things they did far better than Spock.

“Hello Nyota.” He replied, voice shaking ever so slightly, but it was clearly enough for Nyota to pick up on, her face contorting with worry.

“Spock, are you alright? Hey didn’t you say you were going to go back to the coffee shop, I thought you’d be there by now.”

“Yes I did go to the shop, but there was an... incident of sorts.That is actually why I called you, I have a rather pressing issue that I think you could assist me in finding a solution to.”

“Whatever it is I’ll try my best, but I’m not going to promise anything.”

“Of course.” Spock opened his mouth to continue but then found he couldn’t quite figure out what to say, he didn’t even completely understand what the problem was, he just knew he had one.

“Spock, it’s ok, whatever it is I won’t judge you.” Nyota’s voice was soft and reassuring, and her patient, calm face helped ease Spock's nerves.

“Well, Jim, the barista you said was a friend of yours, he prepared another cup of Vulcan tea for me today, but it was far better than his first attempt. I have come to the conclusion he spent the majority of the previous night up studying how to make Vulcan tea and that worries me. The only other human I know of to ever try that hard is my mother, and she did that because she… she was rather emotionally attached to my father and I.”

“Spock… I know you aren’t used to people caring about you, emotionally that is, and I think that was just Jim being Jim. Sometimes he does stuff like that just because he’s a perfectionist and because he wants people to like him. And I also think he may have just decided to get better at tea making in general so Sulu and I would stop fighting about it all the time. Overthinking it isn’t a good idea, but if you do think he was doing it because he likes you, you can always just ask him. Jim’s the kind of person that even if you ask him that and he doesn’t like you he won’t be offended or weirded out, it may even bring you two closer.”

Spock paused for a moment to think about that, there was a chance he was overthinking this, and he wasn’t that good at deciphering the emotional context of any given situation, he’d all but shut out emotions from his life for so many years. Yet there was an itch in the back of mind, something telling him that there had to be something more. That Jim didn’t just spontaneously decide to become great at making Vulcan tea the day after Spock had ordered one.

“Thank you Nyota, I will take what you have said into consideration.” He said, not a lie but most certainly not the entire truth.

Nyota merely sighed, obviously sensing there was something more that Spock wasn’t telling her but unwilling to pry any further. “Alright Spock, but remember to call me if you need my help again, I’m always here for you.”

“And I for you.”

With that Spock ended the call, feeling better about some things and worse about others. Nyota’s advice had been helpful in making Spock aware that it wasn’t all around unusual for Jim to do things like this, but at the same time that just made Spock worry even more. _ There’s no time to be worrying about this, I have papers to grade.  _ Spock set his PADD and picked up his bag once more, moving over to his desk. For now he would occupy himself with his students' papers, then later he could meditate and attempt to fully dissect the situation. He wouldn’t let emotions get in the way of his life anymore than they already had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like I wanted to add more to this chapter, but I didn't really have anything else to add to Spocks POV and I really didn't want to write multiple POVs so sorry for this being so short.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok a couple of things, first I’m gonna make the update day for this Monday, second sorry for not posting last week I was just not in a good place mentally and I didn’t want that to affect the storyline like it has in the past with some other fics I’ve written, third I had a plan for this story but then somewhere along the way I completely went in another direction so I have no clue how long this is gonna be anymore. Just though I’d let yall know.
> 
> Enjoy!

The rest of Jim’s shift was hell. All he could think about was how he had most definitely screwed up any potential friendship with the Vulcan. He didn’t even know what he’d done to upset Spock so much, then again he knew next to nothing about Vulcan culture so it was likely he’d done something culturally insensitive, or at least something that Spock as a Vulcan found offensive, though maybe not something every Vulcan would find particularly triggering.

The moment Jim’s shift ended he practically bolted out the door and rushed back to his apartment as fast as he could; he desperately needed some help deciphering what the actual fuck had happened with the whole tea thing, and to do that he had to call the one person he knew would listen to his struggles and offer decent advice, though begrudgingly and with a  _ whole lot  _ of protest.

“Uhura told me you’d probably be calling, guess she was right,” was Bones’s gruff greeting once Jim had managed to get a hold of him. Jim was surprised by this and maybe would have made some comment about it if he hadn’t been stewing in his own emotions for the past several hours.

“I think I fucked up really bad but I don’t know how and it’s been bothering me all day because I really like this guy and I’m pretty sure I wanna be friends and maybe more but I think I messed all of that up but then I’m also not sure about that because like I don’t even know what I did wrong but I know I did  _ something  _ wrong because most people even Vulcans I’m sure don’t just rush out coffee shops after drinking two sips of their tea and I just nee-“ Jim started talking fast not even stopping to breath until Bones interrupted him, concern clear in his features.

“Woah kid, slow down, I can try and help you but only if you explain what happened like a normal person at a normal talking speed that is actually comprehensible.” Jim noticed the lack of Bones’ usual insults and protests at being dragged away from his work to help Jim with some small issue, and even in his panicked state, he was able to mentally appreciate how Bones could tell that Jim needed his help a lot more than those other times.

“Sorry, I’m just kinda stressed out,” Jim sighed and ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath to calm himself down before starting to explain. “Okay so, y’know how there was that Vulcan who asked for the tea? Well since I kind of wanted to impress him I decided to spend all night learning how to make tea, since I’m kind of an idiot I guess, and then he came into the shop again today-his names Spock by the way-and he asked for tea again so of course I was pretty pumped to show off my skills. Anyways, I make him the tea and he takes one sip of it and his face goes all weird, not like it was bad but more like he was confused or something along those lines, I’m not completely sure. He takes one more sip than grabs his stuff in a hurry and leaves, pretty much does the Vulcan equivalent of storming out of the shop.”

Letting his words sink in for a bit, Jim thinks back to how irked Spock had looked as he left, almost as if for a second his Vulcan biology stepped aside to allow how disturbed he was by the drink to truly show. It wasn’t an expression he’d ever wanted to see on the Vulcan, and the fact that he was the cause made it a thousand times worse.

“When Uhura called earlier she told me some stuff, and while I’m not willing to tell you everything because I don’t think that’d be fair to the hobgoblin, I can tell you that he did think the tea tasted good. I can also tell you that you are quite the idiot and most definitely have a massive crush on this dude.”

“Bonessssss, that doesn’t help me at all! Please just tell me what you think I should do.”

“Ok, ok. I think you should talk to him directly, no dancing around the issue. From what Uhura told me I can gather he’s rather oblivious and probably won’t understand what you’re trying to say unless you’re blunt, and anyways the sooner you work this out the better.”

“I mean I guess that’s probably a good idea, but how would I even reach him? He probably won’t come into the shop after what happened, I don’t have any established form of contact with him, and I have no clue where he lives.”

“I’ll get Uhura to send me his address, you sound way too high online. Now can I please get back to work? Some of us have  _ actually  _ important jobs that don’t entail playing peacekeeper for our hopeless friends.”

“You know you love me,” Jim replied with a grin, finally feeling a bit more at ease after talking to his best friend. “But yeah, sorry for holding you up. I’ll make sure to let you know it goes.”

The only answer he receives is a grumble as Bones hangs up, but Jim takes it as a good thing. He may be scared shitless of having to confront the problem head-on, but he also knows it is probably the only way to solve this. Besides just letting Spock leave his life entirely, but Jim doesn’t really want to think about that, something about the Vulcan just won't let Jim abandon him. 

_ Tomorrow after work, I’ll go over to his house.  _ Jim decided.  _ And pray to ever deity in every solar system that I don’t fuck this up more than I already have.  _


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had so much to write lately, mostly for school, and it’s taken a lot out of me so if this chapter isn’t that great I just wanna say I’m sorry, I just couldn’t bear to skip another week of updating.
> 
> Enjoy!

Jim waited for all of 30 minutes for Bones to send him Spock’s address, but in those 30 minutes, he found enough time to overthink every single word of what he was going to say. He knew what he wanted to convey—that he was sorry for offending and Spock and that he wanted to make it up to him—but he had no clue how to put that into words that wouldn’t sound extremely weird and that also wouldn’t scare Spock away.

When Jim finally received the address he had barely understood where it meant before he was rushing out of his door, trying his best to get there as fast as possible whilst also maintaining some semblance of composure. He was sure Spock wouldn’t appreciate him arriving as a frazzled mess after all.

Finally arriving at the apartment complex, Jim hurriedly tried to smooth down his hair and overall clean up his appearance, before stepping inside the building. It looked rather clean, but not overly pristine. Somehow it seemed exactly the place Jim would’ve assumed Spock to live in.

Pushing those thoughts aside for, the time being, Jim hurried up the stairs to the 4th floor, turned down the hallway, and walked up to the door he knew led into Spock’s apartment. Tentatively, he knocked on the door and waited, his heart pounding against his chest as he desperately tried not to think about what he’d do if Spock told him to get lost.

“Jim?” Spock asked once he’d opened the door, eyebrows raising in a way Jim could only describe as amusing.

“Uh, yeah, it’s me,” Jim awkwardly replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt his cheeks heat up. “Sorry for coming over so late.”

“That is not my main concern at the moment, I am more confused as to how you acquired the knowledge of where I live?” 

“Oh, uh, Bones told me. Apparently, Uhura knows you, and she and Bones are pretty good friends, so Bones got her to tell him where you live. Then he told me.”

“By “Bones” I assume you mean a doctor Leonard McCoy?”

“Yeah, him.”

The two stood in silence for several tense seconds, neither knowing how best to proceed, before Spock unexpectedly broke the silence.

“Would you like to come in?” He asked, stepping slightly away from the entrance to the apartment.

“Sure, that’d be nice,” Jim replied, not having any idea how to properly respond to someone you have a crush on asking you to enter their home, especially after storming out of your place of work after somehow getting offended.

Spock fully stepped away from the door, allowing Jim to enter and awkwardly make his way to the living room, taking a seat on the couch after Spock had looked at him expectantly.

“The humans in my life have informed me that it is customary to provide guests with beverages, is this true for you?” 

“I guess,” Jim answered lamely, then added when he realized Spock was still waiting for what he wanted. “I’ll have whatever you’re ok with offering, I’m not really picky. Just make sure to let me know what's in it, I’m allergic to a lot of stuff.”

Nodding, Spock headed off into what Jim assumed was the kitchen area, leaving Jim to try desperately not to overthink what was happening and what he needed to say next. He knew he needed to apologize sooner rather than later, both for himself and Spock, but other than that he had no clue how to deal with the situation at hand. For one he couldn’t tell if Spock was trying to do all this because he also genuinely cared about Jim and maybe even found him interesting, or if he was just doing all this because he thought it was what the “standards of human social interactions” dictated. He also had no clue if he should try and tell Spock he had a huge ass crush on him, just to get it out in the hopes of maybe being able to engage in a romantic relationship with the other man, or if he should just try for friendship. Honestly, Jim would be happy with either, but he’d be  _ a lot  _ happier with a romantic relationship.

Just as Jim was truly starting to lose himself to the myriad of thoughts he was having, Spock reentered the living room, this time carrying what seemed to be two cups, one that contained what seemed to be hot chocolate, and the other a steaming cup of tea. Spock handed Jim the mug of hot chocolate, and took his place on the far end of the couch, carefully sipping his tea.

“So, what is it you wished to discuss?” Spock once again broke the silence with a question.

“I… I wanted to apologize for earlier,” Jim’s eyes stayed firmly glued to his lap, he knew if he tried to meet Spock’s eyes the words would surely die in his throat. “I’m still not 100% sure what I did, but I know I must have offended you, and I’m sorry for that.”

“I accept your apology, though it is not necessary. You did not offend me, rather it is on the contrary. The tea was quite good.” Spock didn’t elaborate, and Jim decided not to push his luck. He didn’t think he could handle Spock storming out again.

“Well that’s a relief, I was sure I’d done something to piss you off. I really didn’t want to have to never see you again, you’re a pretty interesting guy, something about you just draws me to you, you know?”

“I would have to say the feeling is mutual. I find you an intriguing individual. I myself was… worried I suppose would be the correct word, at the thought of not being able to see you again.”

Jim felt his face heat up even more upon hearing those words, something about the way the Vulcan had said them had made his heart flutter even more.

_ Fuck. I’m about to do something extremely impulsive that I will probably most definitely regret, aren’t I?  _ Jim thought, only barely able to understand that what he was about to say was probably not a good idea to say at the moment, too overwhelmed by emotions to care.

“Spock I have something else to tell you,” Jim lifted his head to look Spock in the eyes, feeling it was only fair considering what he was about to confess. “I like you. A lot. Like, romantically. And maybe sexually. I want to know, do you like me back?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s on creating cliffhangers just because I can.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is beating the absolute shit out of me, and I am so sorry that I had to skip another week. I wrote an extra long chapter this week to make up for it, even if it is super dialogue heavy and doesn’t progress the story as much as I’d have liked, it’s still pretty decent in my opinion.
> 
> Enjoy!

Saying Spock looked shocked would be the understatement of the millennium, in Jim’s opinion. His eyes widened, his mouth was left agape, and he seemed to be at a loss for words, thinking about what he could possibly say over and over in his head, and while maybe that didn’t seem that bad, when Jim took into account that Spock was a Vulcan, and therefore rarely showed any type of emotion, it seemed a whole lot worse.

“Spock?” Jim tentatively spoke up, nerves getting the better of him at the thought of putting Spock on the spot, and forcing him into something he wasn’t comfortable with. “Uh, sorry if I put you on the spot, you don’t have to like me back, it’s fine, really I don’t m-“

“Jim, please allow me to explain my internal turmoil.” Spock interrupted him, regaining some composure though still remaining visibly shaken. “I am a Vulcan, that fact is obvious, and therefore I am unaccustomed to dealing with emotions. I can confirm that I do feel certain emotions towards you that I have never quite felt for any other being, but as I have not had the proper previous experience I can neither confirm nor deny that these feelings are that of a romantic and/or sexual nature. In a more human way of putting it, I have no clue whether I wish to be your friend or your lover.”

“Oh.” Jim said, then added after realizing how stupid that was as a reply to what Spock had just confessed. “Ok. That’s fine, really. Emotions… are complicated, and everyone experiences them differently, so I totally understand how you could be confused. How about… how about we try being friends? Then if you do want to return my feelings you can, and if you don’t we can either stay friends, or if you find it too weird we can part ways. I really don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Spock.”

Spock paused for a moment, and Jim could practically see the cogs turning in his mind as he examined the solution from every possible angle. Finally, he gave his answer, “I find this solution acceptable. Though I feel I must preface this by stating that I am rather unskilled in the art of human social interactions, I am what one may call a “less than conventional friend”.”

“I don’t mind that Spock,” Jim laughed breathily, rolling his eyes. “I could kind of guess that already, what with you being a Vulcan and all. I find myself not minding that fact.”

Nodding, Spock looked as though he was debating what to say next, so Jim decided to spare him that pain and ask, “we should hang out somewhere, to get to know each better. Platonically. We could talk at the coffee shop? When I’m not working of course. Does that sound “acceptable” to you?”

“It sounds like an appropriate course of action, given the circumstances. What times are you available for said social engagement?”

“I’m off all day tomorrow, I can just wait in the shop and whenever you get the free time you could just pop by.”

“I should have the time to come by sometime in the afternoon, I implore you to not wait until after 12. I do not wish for you to spend longer than necessary waiting for me.”

“Sure, whatever you say. It’s a date then.”

* * *

Jim wasn’t stuck waiting too long before Spock arrived, looking as put together as he always did in an outfit that struck Jim as formal, but not overly so. 

“Heya there, Spockums,” Jim smiled and waved him over, grin staying bright on his face as the other took his seat. “You’re a lot earlier than I thought you’d be.”

“I endeavored to finish my work in an even timely-er manner than usual, so as to not keep you waiting,” Spock replied, expression not changing in the slightest. Then he raised his eyebrows—something he seemed to do quite often without realization, for if he did realize it he’d probably stop doing it on account of it being a rather “human” thing to do—and asked, “‘Spockums?’”

“It’s a nickname,” Jim quickly responded, cheeks heating up as he tried not to give away that he’d used such an obvious term of endearment towards the Vulcan. “Like Jim, it’s not my real name but it’s a lot better. And Bones as well, that’s a nickname.”

“I am aware of what a nickname is, Jim, I was simply inquiring why you had chosen one with such an affectionate connotation.” 

“Don’t worry about it! anyways, what do you want to talk about?”

“This is my first time engaging in a meeting within a coffee shop, so I am rather inept when it comes to the expectations of conversation.”

“You are really good at saying nothing with a lot of words, huh?” Jim let out a small chuckle. “How about we play a game of twenty questions. You do know what that is, right?”

“I am reasonably acquainted with the concept, yes.”

“Great, I’m gonna change the rules a bit, so how about we go back and forth with the questions, we get 10 each, and they don’t just have to be yes or no questions. Also if I ask a question you don’t wanna answer, just say so and I’ll think of a different one, same goes for me. Sound good to you?”

Spock nodded his ascent and Jim nodded back, feeling high as a kite and like a complete idiot at the same time.

“I’ll go first then, where are you from? Like, were you born on Vulcan or Earth or some other planet?”

“I was born on Vulcan. I suppose I go next, why are you working in this establishment? Is this your goal for your whole life, or do you have some greater aspirations?”

“That kinda feels like two questions but I’ll let it slide,”  _ since you’re so hot,  _ “I’m working here since an old friend of mine offered me the job after I’d quit school. I’m not sure what I want to do with my life, but I am pretty sure this is just a pit stop. Now me, when you were on Vulcan did you have any pets? Like dogs or cats, that kind of stuff.”

“While I did not have any Terran creatures as pets, I did have a Sehlat named I-Chaya. He was rather larger than most Terran pets, and I was quite dismayed at having to leave him, though it was illogical. Now for my question, why did you decide to quit school?”

“Well, I was enrolled in Starfleet Academy, I was dead-set on exploring the universe… but then some stuff happened, I did some things I probably shouldn’t have, went through some issues with family and friends, and in the end I lost all of the determination I’d originally had, my dream of captaining a ship just wasn’t there anymore, so I decided to quit the academy and try to get my life back together. That’s when Pike offered me the job, he’s a pretty great guy when he wants to be. What about you, what school do you teach at?”

“I believe I am also what one might consider a friend of Pikes. I teach at Starfleet academy, much to my father's chagrin. How long have you and Dr. McCoy been in correspondence?”

“Uh, well, we’ve been “in correspondence” for a while, we’ve been friends for I don’t know how long, but it’s been a while. He’s my best friend, I’d trust him with my life, but I can’t actually remember exactly how long we've been friends, funny how that works. Now tell me about your father, why isn’t he ok with you teaching at Starfleet? Surely he should be happy that his son obtained such a prestigious opportunity, regardless of where it was at?”

“My father had wished for me to attend a Vulcan school, but I decided I would rather attend Starfleet. He was not pleased with my decision and for several years did not speak to me, though due to my mother's constant displeasure he has since resumed correspondence with me. If you had gotten to captain a ship, which one would you have liked to captain?”

“Hmmm, I’m not actually sure. I was too busy trying to keep myself from not falling apart on a sidewalk that I never actually thought about what ship. I do know I would’ve wanted one with a big crew, maybe not a big ship but definitely a big crew. What are your parents like, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I do not mind at all. My mother is very kind, she is human almost to a fault in that she’s extremely emotional about many things, though she is good at hiding it from those who don’t know her well, a skill she had to learn for my father's sake. My father is a logical man who rarely feels anything, or at least he never shows it, he is everything my mother is not. They balance each other out well, perhaps that is why they grew so close. What are your parents like?”

“Your parents sound so amazing, mine are both dead. I never knew my dad, and my mom tried to be a good mom but she loved her career, and sometimes, most of the time actually, when she had to choose between my brother and I or her career she’d choose her career. She wasn’t home a lot, so I don’t really know her either, but I don’t hate her so there’s that. If  _ this  _ is alright to ask, why’d your parents even get together? It must have been hard for them, being an interspecies couple on a planet like Vulcan and all.”

“It was difficult for them, extremely difficult. It still is in fact. My mother is human and is, therefore, looked down upon for being lesser, she was, is, an emotional human and my father is extremely unemotional. My father was seen as illogical for choosing to be with a human, especially one so driven towards emotional outbursts and illogical actions, and my mother was hated for being the cause of my father’s stray from the path of logicality. They stayed together because they cared for one another, because they loved each other. My mother has said it is because ‘they have a bond too strong to be torn apart by silly societal boundaries’. My father has said ‘it was only logical to stay with someone who made him more content with the quality of his life, and therefore more productive’. Do you ever feel upset towards either your mother or father? Are you saddened by their deaths?”

“Woah you have no boundaries dude. But yeah, I feel pissed at my dad all the time. I wished he hadn’t died like he had, I wished he hadn’t placed such a big responsibility on me. I feel like I  _ have  _ to be something amazing, like I can’t just settle for working in a coffee shop because he lived such an incredible life and died in such a horrid way. I’ve never really been mad at my mom though, sure I got pissed at first, I was her son: she was supposed to always choose me over everything else, but I’ve come to accept why she did what she did. I’ve come to accept I was a constant reminder of something she just wanted to move past, and that she tried to love me but sometimes she just couldn’t. I’m not really ‘sad’ about either of their deaths; I didn’t know my dad at all, how could I feel bad about someone I knew nothing about? And I was never close with my mom, she was just someone who occasionally sent back money to me and my brother, who supported me through life, but from such a distance I never knew her. So I wasn’t really sad because it was my mom, I was just sad someone had died in the way most humans get sad when people die, even if they don’t know them. Okay, this is getting a little too dark, so what’s your favorite color?”

“I apologize for making the conversation so ‘dark’, so to speak, it was not my intention. I do not have a favorite color, for it is illogical to find one color to hold value over another. What is your favorite color?”

“Spock, that’s pretty lame. You actually have no favorite color at all? Mine’s green, which I guess is also kinda lame. Why’d you decide to teach at Starfleet anyway, surely it can’t be easy being a Vulcan in a predominantly human environment?”

“I felt my services could be of better use there; many skilled Vulcans were entering the science academy, I knew I’d be one of very few, if not the only, Vulcan who would enroll at Starfleet, and then later teach there; I thought perhaps my presence could help educate others who were not aware of Vulcan culture. It is rather difficult sometimes, the people there are sometimes xenophobic, and of course, the environment itself is designed for the comfort of humans, not Vulcans, and more than once I have found myself nearly overwhelmed with the work put on me since I am a Vulcan and therefore  _ can  _ work more efficiently. Often humans forget that while I do not need as much sleep as them, I do still require rest. I am curious, did you ever enroll in any courses about Vulcans? Or at the very least, learn about them in your spare time? Or was there ever any classes offered about species sensitivities that included Vulcans?”

“Dude, one question, not three. And why do you want to know whether they even have classes, can’t you find that out for yourself?”

“I do not have access to the entire list of classes provided, as I am no longer a student and no longer require that information.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Kinda. Well, no I never took any classes and I guess I learned a few things from Bones, but that was just in passing so I’m not sure it actually counts. I think there was one class that was offered, but it included so many different species that I’m sure they didn’t go that in-depth about any of them, much less Vulcans. So, do you ever get upset that people don’t know much about your culture, or anatomy, or stuff like that? Like when people are insensitive to you just brush it off or do you get upset?”

“I understand why they are so unaware of the culture, they are given so few opportunities to learn and even then there isn’t much they  _ can _ learn, so I usually do not outwardly show my annoyance at these incidents. My annoyance is always small, if at all; there is no logic in being mad at someone for a thing out of their control. Do you ever get upset when other species are unaware of human anatomy and/or culture?”

“Nah, I used to when I was younger but I also realized that some people just never get the opportunity to learn about that kind of stuff, so there’s no real reason for me to get mad. What are some stuff about Vulcans I should know? Like what stuff makes you uncomfortable or what things about your anatomy differ from humans?”

“Some of the most obvious and blatant differentiations about my anatomy would be my heart, ears, and hands. My heart is located where the human liver is typically located, my ears are far more sensitive than a humans, as are my hands. And something my mother finds especially amusing is that refined sugar for Vulcans is the human equivalent of alcohol, and alcohol does not affect Vulcans as it does humans. Our greeting is different from humans, but that is the only cultural thing that I feel I can share in such simplicity. For my final question, I would like to ask if you would like to meet up again sometime?”

“Of course, this has been fun, Spock,” Jim started to stand and push in his chair, assuming the meeting was over. “You’re a pretty cool dude to be around, even if your bedside manners do suck.”

“Then I shall await communication to my PADD. Is this agreeable?” Spock asked as he too stood and pushed in his chair.

“Yeah, it’s agreeable,” Jim nodded slightly, then added as an afterthought, “hopefully you figure out your feelings soon, but also there’s no rush. I’d enjoy you knowing, but I’m not gonna push you or anything, so don’t worry about it. Well then, I gotta bounce, see you around sometime Spockums.”

“Farewell, Jim, I shall ‘see you around sometime’ as well,” Spock nodded his ascension and turned to leave the cafe, this time leaving Jim feeling like he was on cloud 9 rather than being drudged through the mud under old school bleachers.

_ God, I hope he likes me back, I don’t think I can handle having to stare at that handsome face  _ platonically _ much longer. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think I messed anything up, like any of their histories, please let me know because I feel like I’m missing something but I can not for the life of me figure out what it could be.
> 
> Also if anyone is interested in joining a cool discord server cult/diy religion thing, here’s a link. https://discord.gg/3Dh3Sf6 (you may have to just copy paste it lmao) It doesn’t have anything to do with Star Trek but it’s still pretty rad. I highly suggest you join.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha sometimes life just doesn’t want me to write, and I don’t know why. Updates may be more sporadic from now on, but I shouldn’t take more than around a month to finish I’d say? Don’t quote me on that though.
> 
> Enjoy!

“So you went on a platonic date with a Vulcan?” Bones asked, voice conveying how much he was most certainly judging Jim at that moment.

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Jim answered, not giving the black coffee he was making much of his attention as he’d made it several times in the past. “We just asked each other questions for a while, got to know each other. It was nice, or at least it was an improvement from me showing up at his doorstep to apologize for making decent tea.”

Bones hummed in agreement, more focused on his PADD than Jim, as he had been since he’d arrived just a few minutes prior, demanding both a black coffee and an explanation as to what happened with him and Spock.

“What are you even doing on that thing?” Jim asked curiously.

“Messaging Uhura,” Bones replied nonchalantly, still not taking his eyes off the screen. “She was curious and of course Spock didn’t tell her much. So you’d better give me some good details or she’s gonna think I’m holding out on her.”

“Ok then,” Jim rolled his eyes even as he smiled. “We talked about some sorta serious stuff I guess. He talked some about his parents, and dealing with being a Vulcan, or half Vulcan I suppose, amongst mainly humans, and I talked about my parents and leaving Starfleet. Now that I’m saying it out loud it really was serious stuff, it didn’t seem serious at all when I was talking with him. Or at least it didn’t feel like he was trying to be rude and ask way to personal of questions.

“See, this is the stuff Spock definitely didn’t tell her. The hobgoblin’s way to private of a person if you ask me: I’m honestly surprised you managed to get an answer when you asked about his parents.”

At this Jim paused, he knew Vulcans were more private than some other species, but he hadn’t considered it much of a feat to get Spock to answer some of his more personal questions. Spock had seemed more than willing to give detailed answers to every single one of Jim’s questions, never once showing any sign of hesitation or reluctance.

“Are they really that private?”

“Well yeah, they hardly share anything unless they think it’s necessary. That’s why it’s so hard to learn stuff about them, secretive bastards. Spock must’ve trusted you quite a bit to tell you stuff ‘bout his parents and the whole xenophobia thing.”

Nodding, Jim decided to give more of his attention to the coffee he was making. Focusing on pouring the drink he tried not to think about what this meant regarding his chances of Spock liking him back, but found it hard not to smile like a complete dolt as he handed his best friend the drink.

“I can’t believe how far gone you are, Jim. You only broke up with Trevora a couple of days ago, and you’re already rebounding? Even for you, that’s pretty fast.”

“I don’t think so. Sure, it was kind of fast, but I genuinely like the guy. He isn’t just some rebound, at this point I’m pretty much completely over Trevora!”

“Whatever you say,” Bones sighed and finally put his PADD down so he could look Jim in the eye. “Just try not to hurt him, alright? From what I’ve been told he seems like a decent guy. Also, try not to hurt yourself, I know it’s a lot to ask from you, but please don’t overdo this relationship.”

“Fine  _ Dad,  _ I’ll try not to push myself,” Jim joked back lightheartedly. “But seriously, I’ll try not to hurt anyone. I’m not gonna make him do stuff he isn’t comfortable with, and I’m not gonna make  _ me  _ do stuff I’m not comfortable with.”

“Alright, I’ll take your word on it,” Bones nodded, then looked at his watch and began to gather up his PADD and drink. “Damn, I’ve gotta head back to the hospital again. I swear they’re workin’ me like a damn dog nowadays. Well, see you around, kid. Try to stay out of trouble.”

“Will do Bonesy,” Jim waved goodbye to the doctor as he left, then turned to check his PADD as he heard it ding almost the second Bones had closed the door behind him. It was a message from Spock:

_ I am messaging you to request we meet up next week at the shop once more, I have something important to tell you. I can make time any afternoon, what times are you not required at work? _

Jim laughed softly at how formal Spock spoke, even over messaging, and formed his own reply.

_ I’m free on Wednesday if that works for you? _

_ That should work well with my schedule. Next Wednesday, after 12 pm, then? _

_ It’s a date. _

_ By the way, what’s this important thing you need to tell me? _

_ It will be best received within the shop. _

_ Can I get any hints? _

_ It is my answer to the question of whether or not I feel a romantic attraction towards you. _

Nearly dropping his PADD once he’d read the message, Jim struggled to keep himself together. He was elated at the possibility that Spock could like him back but also terrified that he might not and Jim would have to decide whether he wanted to stay in the friend zone or abandon Spock altogether.

_Cool_   


_ See you then. _

_ I shall see you  _ _ on Wednesday, Jim. _

Putting the PADD down, Jim ran a hand over his face.  _ Way to sound like a complete dunce, you dunce. Wednesday can’t come soon enough. _ _   
_


End file.
